Hylden Lord
Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (1996 - as the Dark Entity) Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2 (2002 - as the Hylden Lord) |race = Hylden |gender = Male |status = Deceased (as of the Blood Omen 2 era) |titles = • General of the Hylden • Leader of the Cult of Hash'ak'gik • Leader of the Sarafan Order |aliases = • The Unspoken • The Dark Entity • Hash'ak'gik • The Sarafan Lord • The Hylden General |territories = • The Hylden City • The Sarafan Keep, Meridian |affiliation = • The Cult of Hash'ak'gik • The Sarafan Order |realm = Demon Realm |birthera = Ancient-Hylden war or later |voice = Tony Jay Earl Boen Alastair Duncan René Auberjonois |appearances = • • }} The Hylden Lord, alternatively known as the Dark Entity, the Unspoken, the Sarafan Lord, Hash'ak'gik or the Hylden General, is the primary antagonist of both Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2, and a major antagonist in Legacy of Kain: Defiance. Initially introduced in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain as the malevolent force in control of Mortanius, his ambitions and motives against the Circle of Nine are further explored throughout successive installments. As the leader of the militant Hylden trapped within the Demon Realm by the original Circle of Nine, the Hylden Lord orchestrated the murder of Ariel in an effort to topple the Pillars of Nosgoth, thereby attaining both freedom and vengeance. Following the fatal paradox created by Raziel and Kain in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2, the Hylden Lord succeeded in escaping into the Material Realm, reviving the Sarafan Order and attempting to conquer Nosgoth entirely. However, he was slain by Kain at the Hylden City before his plan could reach its fruition. Biography Pre-Blood Omen era Prior to the Blood Omen era, the Dark Entity utilized human possession to seduce the Guardians Mortanius and Azimuth to his cause through the Avernus Catacombs; he and his followers attracted a considerable number of worshipers in their travels. Pulling the Vampire Turel "from the future back to the bowels of Avernus Cathedral" through Azimuth, the Dark Entity utilized his new captive as a "dark god", inciting fearful worship and forming the Cult of Hash'ak'gik. Over many years, the cult blossomed and spread, and the Dark Entity managed to possess Mortanius himself. Mortanius' seduction provided him the opportunity he sought; in a deliberately calculated move, he murdered the Balance Guardian Ariel through Mortanius' body, bypassing the Circle's protector Malek by using a Guardian to commit the deed. When Ariel's lover, Nupraptor, found her corpse, he plunged into abject madness inspired by his own grief and suspicion, symbiotically driving his fellow Guardians to insanity and invoking the Corruption of the Pillars. Blood Omen era (''Blood Omen'' and ''Defiance'') For much of the next thirty years, the Dark Entity would maintain his possession of Mortanius, though his control was not constant; in a relative 'lull', Mortanius was able to assert his will and use the Heart of Darkness to revive Human nobleman (and unknowing Balance Guardian) Kain, turning him into a Vampire, believing he was creating the Scion of Balance (who he thought was the Vampire Champion of ancient prophecy). Soon after Raziel would confront Mortanius in the Avernus Catacombs regarding the location of the heart and during their conversation, the Hylden Lord took control of Mortanius; manipulating him and gloating that whilst Raziel was the Hylden Messiah, he no longer required his co-operation; the Hylden plot would succeed regardless of Raziel's involvement. The Dark Entity also told Raziel of Mortanius' weakness and that soon he would have a "stronger vessel" that would aid in the Hylden's release. Mortanius teleported away to prepare for the his final confrontation with the fledgling Kain. Throughout his quest in ''Blood Omen'', Kain encountered little information about the forces behind the corruption of the pillars; finding only a few references to the Cult of Hash'ak'gik in Willendorf's library and finding a secret altar to Hash'ak'gik in the Avernus Catacombs (Kain left Avernus without discovering most of the cult's activites there). When Kain returned to the pillars for his final confrontation with Mortanius, Mortanius told him that after him there would still be "one more to take". When Kain killed Mortanius , The Dark Entity emerged, transforming Mortanius' body into a 'demonic' form and (like Raziel before him) taunted Kain about his role, telling him that the corruption of the pillars was "but the first act". Angered, Kain fought the Dark Entity apparently defeating it, but moments later he would play right into the Hylden General's hands; refusing to sacrifice himself to restore the pillars and instigating their collapse. The defeat to Kain did not 'kill' the Dark Entity however, and he was able to use the shock-wave from the collapse of the pillars to possess the recently resurrected Janos Audron. The Hylden Lord taunted Raziel (as he had Kain) about how his actions in killing the Scion of Balance (the elder Kain) to get the Heart of Darkness to revive Janos had provided the Hylden with precisely the "incorruptible vessel" they needed. Determined to prevent the Hylden Lord's plans Raziel battled the Hylden Lord, but the tide of battle turned when Raziel proved reluctant to kill Janos and the Hylden Lord was able to defeat Raziel, destroying his physical form and sending him back to the Elder God. In control of Janos' body, the Hylden Lord flew away to set up the next phase of his plans. Post-Blood Omen era Using the body of Janos Audron to open the Hylden Gate , the Hylden Lord was able to bring his natural Hylden body to the Material Realm and set about restoring the Hylden to power. Building (or re-inhabiting) the Hylden City, the Hylden Lord was able to set up a Hylden base in Nosgoth and planning to use the Device to destroy all non-Hylden life in Nosgoth, the Hylden Lord imprisoned Janos in the Device, draining him of Blood to feed the Mass. At a time of increased Vampire activity in Nosgoth,with the rise of Kain's Vampire Army, The Hylden General, disguising his Hylden features behind gold armor and a face-mask, and calling himself "The Sarafan Lord", capitalized on the Humans fear and set up a new Sarafan Order (deliberately named after the old one) dedicated to eliminating the vampires, bringing with him Glyph magic to fight them. Many humans flocked to join and soon the Sarafan Order had become a power in its own right. When Kain's Army turned south and attempted to take Meridian, The Sarafan Lord was ready; he had in his possession the Nexus Stone, an artefact that rendered its user impervious to attacks by the Soul Reaver, in addition he had secretly conspired with one of Kain's associates, Sebastian, to arrange an ambush; a failed assassination attempt of the Sarafan Lord by Kain's 'champion', Magnus (which ended with the Sarafan Lord sending Magnus to the Eternal Prison) would also cost Kain dear. In the Battle of Meridian, Kain's forces were routed by the Sarafan Lord's ambush and Kain was locked in combat with the Lord himself. Unable to use the power of the Soul Reaver against him, Kain was defeated by the Sarafan Lord and knocked off a cliff to his apparent death The Sarafan Lord recovered the Soul Reaver and in the years that followed, the Sarafan Order was able to conquer Nosgoth completely; controlling the majority of the humans under a tyrannical rule and reducing Vampire numbers to a small resistance movement, the Cabal, in Meridian . Meanwhile under the guise of the of providing heat, light and power for it's citizens, the Glyphwrights (actually Hylden Scientists) carried out the next phase of the Hylden Lord's plans; building a network to project the thoughts of the Mass onto and complete the Device. Blood Omen 2 era By the time of Kain's return, the Sarafan, headed by the Sarafan Lord, were in firm conrtol of Nosgoth and especially Meridian and Glyph magic network (required by The Device) was nearly complete. Kain made clear early on that his goals were to kill the Sarafan Lord, recover the Soul Reaver and return to his plans for Empire and he made no secret pursuing them , despite this, the Sarafan Lord only became aware of Kain's return when Kain's rescue of Umah from the Sarafan Keep disturbed him. Armed with the Reaver and easily overpowering Kain, The Sarafan Lord prepared to strike Kain down, but Umah intervened, teleporting the vampires to Sanctuary. The Sarafan Lord was next seen leading a Sarafan group in the Canyons, apparently targeting the meeting between Kain and The Seer at the Seer's Cottage. As the two met, The Sarafan Lord fired a Reaver Bolt at the Cottage and ordered several Sarafan Archers to set the house ablaze (though The Seer managed to teleport Kain to the Device and probably escaped herself). The Sarafan Lord, having not directly seen Kain, remained unaware of Kain's recovery of the Nexus Stone from the Industrial Quarter. As Kain continued, he learnt much more about the Sarafan Lord learning first of the true fate of Magnus at the Lords hands and finally learning from Janos Audron of the Sarafan Lord's true nature as a "Hylden General". When Kain travelled to the Hylden City, the Sarafan Lord (appropriately unmasked) confronted Kain, attempting to strike him with the Reaver, but he was shocked to discover Kain's possession of the Nexus Stone prevented this and as Kain gloated over his destruction of The Device, The Sarafan Lord threatened his next move; bringing the Hylden army through the Hylden Gate; before teleporting away. Once Kain had deactivated the Shield Generator, allowing Vorador and Janos to teleport in, the Hylden General struck again hitting Janos and Vorador with Reaver Bolts and taking them out of the final battle. Kain finally caught up with The Hylden General above the Hylden Gate and the two fought (after the Sarafan Lord denied Umah was a Sarafan spy), with an effective stalemate, Kain chose to give drop the Nexus Stone into the Hylden Gate; giving up his protection but ensuring the gate would be closed and all Hylden, including the Hylden Lord, would perish. After Kain repeatedly used Immolate on the Hylden General, he dropped the Soul Reaver and intervention from Janos allowed Kain to recover the blade; seething at his ancient enemy, the Hylden General threw Janos into the closing gate, sealing him in the Demon Realm. With No Nexus Stone to protect him (unlike the Battle of Meridian) the Hylden General was no match for Kain wielding the Soul Reaver and Kain was finally able to kill the Hylden Lord (see also Sarafan Lord (boss)). With his last words however, the Hylden Lord pledged that the Hylden would one day return. Character Development Appearance Personality Powers Etymology Notes The Hylden Lord has several different titles throughout the seires which has led to some confusion over his identity: *He is known primarily as "The Dark Entity" or "The Unspoken" in Blood Omen stage directions and was heavlily implied to be the dark god "Hash'ak'gik"; the latter two of these terms subtly change meaning in later games,under development of Crystal Dynamics, which reinterpreted "The Unspoken" to refer to the Hylden race in general. "Hash'ak'gik", the dark god worshipped in Avernus, was revealed in ''Defiance'' to be Turel, possessed by several Hylden (without the participation of the Hylden Lord). *In ''Blood Omen 2'' , he is known as "The Sarafan Lord" (and later "The Hylden General"), which led fans to believe he was a new enemy; only with developments in ''Defiance'' (and developer interviews) did it become clear the "The Sarafan Lord" and "The Dark Entity" were one and the same. It is unclear however, if Kain was ever aware of this fact. *''Defiance'' filled in the continuity, referring to him as the "Hylden Lord" (harking back to both the "Sarafan Lord" and "Hylden General" titles) but also showing his actions as those of "The Dark Entity". As noted above, ''Defiance'' cast doubt on the validity of the terms "The Unspoken" and "Hash'ak'gik" to refer to him. The age of the Hylden Lord is not conclusively discussed in the series; though comments by Janos that the Builder is "far older" than the Sarafan Lord may suggest that he was not present in the Elder Wars and was 'born' in the Demon Realm. In ''Blood Omen 2'', The Sarafan Lord is still unaware of Kain's return until Chapter 5:The Sarafan Keep, despite several Sarafan traitor vampires mentioning "rumours" of Kain's return (and with both Sebastian and Faustus having met Kain, then had clear opportunities to inform the Sarafan Lord; Faustus himself claims that the Sarafan Lord told him of Kain's revival). In ''Blood Omen 2''A female NPC at 'Southgate Tram Station' in Chapter 3: The Lower City, is heard trying to gain access to the Sarafan Keep to pay her debts to "The Chancellor" - though the real-world meaning of 'chancellor' varies; it could be taken as a 'human title' of the Sarafan Lord. The idea of the Dark Entity being sealed away in the demon world as punishment for his rebellion may be an allusion to Satan and the rebel angels being exiled from Heaven as punishment for their rebellion. However, it is uncertain whether or not this was intended. Gallery Image:Hash'ak'gik-Mortanius.jpg|The Dark Entity possessing Mortanius Image:Hash'ak'gik-Mortanius (Total).jpg|The Dark Entity deforms Mortanius' Flesh BO1-Dark Entity Sprite.png|Dark Entity Sprite (BO1) Def009079.jpg|The Hylden Lord Possessing Janos Lordhylden.jpg|The Hylden/Sarafan Lord in his natural body The Hylden Lord.jpg|The Hylden Lord BO2-HC-SarafanLord-Boss-Epilogue-KainKillsSarafanLord.PNG Hash'ak'gik-Mortanius (Total).jpg BO1-Dark Entity Sprite.png Hash'ak'gik-Mortanius.jpg Def009079.jpg Janos Audron possessed.jpg Janos Possessed.jpg HyldenLord-SteveRoss.jpg Mural depicting the Hylden Lord defeating Kain (BO2).jpg The Hylden Lord.jpg Lordhylden.jpg BO2-HC-SarafanLord-Boss-ArmsRaised.PNG BO2-HC-SarafanLord-Boss-BoltCharge.PNG BO2-HC-SarafanLord-Boss-Bossroom-Bolt1.PNG BO2-HC-SarafanLord-Boss-SarafanLordWobbles.PNG BO2-HC-SarafanLord-Boss-JumpAttack.PNG BO2-HC-SarafanLord-Boss-SLKnockedOff.PNG Kain throws the Hylden Lord into the Gate.jpg BO2-HC-SarafanLord-Boss-NexusStoneDrop.PNG BO2-HC-SarafanLord-Boss-P2-RedAttack.PNG BO2-HC-SarafanLord-Boss-P2-Immolate.PNG Kain used Inmolate against the Hylden Lord.jpg BO2-HC-SarafanLord-Boss-P2-Immolate2.PNG BO2-HC-SarafanLord-Boss-DroppedSoulReaver.PNG BO2-HC-SarafanLord-BossJanosInterevenes.PNG BO2-HC-SarafanLord-Boss-JanosStrangle.PNG BO2-HC-SarafanLord-Boss-CentralPlatform.png BO2-HC-SarafanLord-Boss-P3-FinalScaffoldingConflict.PNG BO2-HC-SarafanLord-Boss-YellowAttack.PNG BO2-HC-SarafanLord-Boss-Epilogue-KainKillsSarafanLord.PNG See also * The Dark Entity at Dark Chronicle (by Marie Walter). *Dark Entity (boss) *Sarafan Lord (boss) *Hylden Lord (boss) References to be added Category:Blood Omen characters Category:Blood Omen 2 characters Category:Defiance characters